Peterson v. United States
North Dakota farmer battles federal overreach in prairie pothole abuses
Cody Peterson is fighting back in a federal lawsuit to defend the right of all property owners to make use of their land, and to ensure that federal government agencies keep their word.
Tom Hamann v. Heart Mountain Irrigation District, et al.
Ranching family demands just compensation for government-damaged property
Tom Hamann is asking the Wyoming Supreme Court to restore his property rights and hold agencies like HMID accountable to the rule of law.
CTM Holdings LLC v. USDA
Farming family fights government’s illegal restrictions on their livelihood
Iowa attorney Jim Conlan grew up in a farming family, so when considering new investment options, reconnecting with his family legacy through agriculture was a natural fit. But Jim’s efforts to support this time-honored industry soon ran headlong into government overreach by regulators that lack his deep respect for farming’s critical role in sustaining lives and livelihoods—and for the Constitution’s property rights protections. Represented at no charge by Pacific Legal Foundation, Liberty Justice Center, and Upper Midwest Law Center, Jim is fighting back against the agencies’ abusive and improper use of government authority. His federal lawsuit challenges the constitutionality of the Swampbuster statute to hold regulators accountable to the rule of law and restore private property rights for farmers and everyone else.
Inside Passage Electric Cooperative v. U.S. Department of Agriculture
Nonprofit fights USDA’s roadblock to new green energy in rural Alaska
IPEC is fighting back to rein in the USDA’s overreach so they can build sustainable, eco-friendly power projects and improve their customers’ quality of life. Represented free of charge by PLF, the cooperative and the Alaska Power Association are challenging the USDA’s authority to prohibit construction and maintenance of roads within national forestlands as a violation of the Constitution’s separation of powers.
Dr. Gregory Ringenberg v. United States
Government’s bogus easements threaten family retreat and property rights
The government cannot take private property without the owner’s consent unless it pays just compensation. Nor can the government create an easement where none would otherwise exist. Yet, the Forest Service is using every flimsy excuse it can find to take an easement for an access road that leads to nowhere, without paying for it. Dr. Ringenberg has the right to build his family retreat on his land without the threat of public intrusion. Represented by Pacific Legal Foundation at no charge, he filed a federal lawsuit challenging the Forest Service’s invalid easement claim to restore his own property rights and to curb the agency’s continued unlawful manipulations to take property without paying for it.
Flying Crown Subdivision v. Alaska Railroad Corporation
Planes, trains, and property rights: battling government’s easement abuses
Represented at no charge by Pacific Legal Foundation, the subdivision’s homeowners appealed the lower court’s decision at the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to stop the Alaska Railroad from enshrining easement holders’ exclusionary powers at the expense of private property rights.
Ralston, et al. v. County of San Mateo, CA, et al.
Government’s regulatory purgatory demotes property rights to second-class status
Courts cannot require Randy to ask the county to allow a land use it will not approve, via a process that does not exist, simply to make his takings case “ready” for the court’s review.
Stephanie Heigel-Tibbitts v. California Coastal Commission
Couple fights unlawful Coastal Commission limbo to build wheelchair-friendly home
PLF has challenged CCC actions for decades and has several lawsuits in progress, and with PLF’s help, the Tibbittses fought back. Here, PLF filed a lawsuit and asked the state court simply to force the CCC to hold a hearing to make a decision on the permit. Just prompting a hearing will set a precedent for coastal property owners to defend their due process rights from this common delay tactic by the CCC.
Sheffield v. George P. Bush, GLO Commissioner
Texas moves the public beach onto private, residential properties
Charles Sheffield is a long-time Texan and surfer who bought beachfront homes in Surfside Beach as a retirement investment. Merry Porter is a native Texan and resident of Surfside Beach who owns and uses a small beachfront home for rental income. In March 2021, without prior notice or compensation, the Texas General Land Office moved the public beach boundary at Surfside Beach to 200 feet inland of the low tide. This expansion of the beach converts Charles’ and Merry’s residential properties into public property, taking away their privacy rights and ability to use and repair their properties. Government cannot turn private land into a public park without just compensation or due process, so Charles is fighting back.